Let The Transformation Begin

I'm listening to Merle proudly wail "Okie from Muskogee" and pondering my iminent metamorphosis from pot-smoking hippie chick to whiskey-drinking redneck chick. I'm certainly not afraid, if anything, it is long overdue.

Yes, it's official. I plan to move my life from this beautiful bayside paradise to the state capitol of Texas. Why? That could take many blogs to explain but suffice to say, it's just time.

I love San Francisco with all my heart - hell, I may even leave it here but it's a transition town, not for me to put down roots. It's been described as a beautiful, captivating lover, an expensive mistress that you try to break up with because you can't afford her then she flashes that stunning smile and your knees go weak. You end up staying, throwing cash at her feet, even though you know she is not the type of woman to marry, that she is not someone you could settle down with. And so it goes.

Meanwhile, Austin has been calling to me with its pervasive live music, green chilies-in-everything philosophy and Mexican shorthair bats living under the Congress Street bridge peeling out every summer night in great black ribbons with the town cheering them on. This is the town that gave us Willie Nelson, Molly Ivins and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. It is the current home of Sandra Bullock, which kinda proves my point, as she is the only movie star I can relate to. She married a biker dude from Long Beach, fer chrissakes.

There are other beguiling Texan features but mostly, I just need a change of scenery. Sure, it's gonna be hot or rather FUCKING HOT, especially after nine years of wearing wool scarves in August; it's going to be quite a shock. Still, it will be cool to have distinct seasons, that will be a first for me. Living in SoCal is like having variations on the same 75 degree day and here, it's just moist, always.

Expect some nostalgic, weepy, freaked out blogs in the next couple months. I have no job, nowhere to live, not even a map of the town but everyone speaks English, more or less, so I figure how hard can it be?